WYMT NEWS: People from around the country study coal mining in Appalachia

May 29th, 2009

People from across the country stop in eastern Kentucky to see how coal mining affects the local economy and environment. The group Witness for Peace got a first hand look from local miners and saw the beauty of some reclaimed mine lands and learned about other environmental effects of coal mining.

Local miner Mike Mullins says, "Before the mines came in there was nothing here, but just a deep valley for nothing."

Avi Chomsky from Massachusetts says, "One of the things that's really shocking to see here is how much work and how much devastation to get to really small amounts of coal."

Several Kentuckians will travel to Columbia in South America next week to study mining and see a 35 mile coal mine, which they say is the largest in the world.